Chapter 34 Pressure
Deep in the night, a half-moon hangs high in the sky.
Liu Zhengfeng said to the regiment commander Ling Guishan: "Commander, I noticed that everyone has only built fortifications, but no air-raid shelters. This won't work. We are about to face a large Japanese force, not a small group. They have mountain artillery and howitzers, and maybe even airplanes. If we don't have air-raid shelters, we will suffer a great loss."
Ling Guishan frowned and said, "Didn't you say before that we should fight a mobile war with the enemy? If we can't win, we can just run away. There's no need to dig an air-raid shelter, right?"
Liu Zhengfeng sighed and said, "The nature of the mission is different, and the fighting style must also change. Our current mission is to firmly here and prevent them from advancing a single step."
"this……"
Ling Guishan's face looked extremely ugly. If they fought head-on with the large Japanese army like this, their side would surely suffer heavy casualties, or even be wiped out.
"Is there no other way?"
It can be seen that he is worried and even afraid. Liu Zhengfeng said coldly: "The highest honor for a soldier is to die on the battlefield, wrapped in horsehide. Now is the time when the country needs us to stand up."
For some reason, after hearing what Liu Zhengfeng said, Hu Tiande, Wu Erdan and Big Beard suddenly felt a surge of blood in their hearts, rushing to their foreheads, and their eyes lit up.
Ling Guishan's face turned pale. He suddenly gritted his teeth, raised his head and said, "Okay, let's die. Let's fight them."
Liu Zhengfeng's expression also eased and he said, "That's right, Commander Ling, please send someone to notify the Second and Third Regiments to dig air-raid shelters as soon as possible and keep a close eye on the movements of the Japanese army."
Torches were lit on the battlefield and the soldiers got busy.
Liu Zhengfeng quietly walked down the mountain and headed towards the position of the Third Regiment. The two positions were two kilometers apart, and he arrived there in less than half an hour.
He walked alone to the position of the Third Regiment with only a gun. The evening breeze blew his tattered blue uniform. On the position, the soldiers were digging air-raid shelters at a leisurely pace.
He walked straight to the temporary command post of the Third Regiment, which was a simple thatched hut with several torches lit inside. The blazing fire illuminated the entire hut. The commander of the Third Regiment, Fu Bo, was walking back and forth in the hut, looking very anxious.
Staff Officer An sat on a wooden stool, lost in thought, not saying a word.
"Report."
Liu Zhengfeng broke the tranquility here.
Fu Bo and Staff Officer An showed joy on their faces, and they rushed over at the same time and invited Liu Zhengfeng in.
Fu Bo rubbed his hands together, a relieved expression on his face.
"Brother, I thought you had forgotten about our Third Regiment. The enemy's large force is about to arrive. I am so anxious that I am about to ask you for advice. Staff Officer An, pour a bowl of water for Brother Liu."
"Yes, Commander."
Staff Officer An enthusiastically poured a bowl of water for Liu Zhengfeng and said with a smile, "Brother, to be honest, we really don't feel at ease when you are not around."
Liu Zhengfeng drank the water in the bowl in big gulps and said with a smile: "You two are too kind. I am not that important. It's just that the commander forced me to be promoted. I have no choice but to bite the bullet and show off my skills in front of you all."
Fu Bo eagerly asked Liu Zhengfeng to sit down and said, "No, no, Brother Liu, I won't say any more polite words. The war is imminent, you must help me more."
Liu Zhengfeng said formally: "Captain Fu, you don't have to be polite. To resist the Japanese invaders and defend our country, there is no question of who helps whom. As long as I can , I will not hesitate to die."
Fu Bo was relieved and said, "That's good. I was worried that I don't know you well enough and you wouldn't care about us."
Liu Zhengfeng said: "In this blocking battle, the Third Regiment bore the brunt of the attack. You can imagine the pressure it has to bear. If the Third Regiment does not fight well, the pressure will be passed on to the Second Regiment, the second line of defense. So, we are a whole. We all prosper together and suffer together. Every link is important. So, Captain Fu, please stop saying these polite words."
Fu Bo smiled and said, "Well, tell me how we should fight this battle."
Liu Zhengfeng was silent for a while, then said, "First of all, I must tell you that the upcoming battle will be extremely brutal, much more brutal than the battle we fought a few days ago."
"In this battle, we faced Japanese firepower including aerial bombs from the Japanese Air Force, 105mm howitzers from the Army, 92mm infantry guns and other artillery. The biggest difficulty we faced was how to survive under the enemy's bombardment."
Upon hearing this, Fu Bo and Staff Officer An's faces changed. Up to now, they had never experienced such a large-scale artillery bombardment, and the thought of it was terrifying.
Staff Officer An hesitated and asked, "How can you be sure that the Japanese army will use such a large-scale firepower against us?"
Liu Zhengfeng stared at him closely and said, "The Japanese Sixth Division is in danger . This Japanese army is going to reinforce it. In order to rescue the trapped Sixth Division, they will fight with us to the death."
Fu Bo was in a daze for a long time before he let out a long breath.
"If that's the case, then what should we do? We have less than 500 people, so we are not enough for them to bomb us."
Liu Zhengfeng said: "First, we must hurry up and dig the air-raid shelter, and ensure its quality. This is the key to whether we can escape the Japanese artillery bombardment."
"Second, the Japanese army has a rule in combat. Before the infantry attack, they will bombard the enemy's position with artillery fire. During this period, except for the necessary reconnaissance personnel, all of us will enter the air-raid shelter to reduce casualties."
"Third, when the Japanese infantry attacks, we must try to shorten the distance between the two armies and keep them in a stalemate, so as to avoid the Japanese artillery bombardment."
Fu Bo and Staff Officer An looked at each other, smiled bitterly and shook their heads. This was too difficult.
"Report."
At this time, a soldier came running over panting. He was the scout sent by Fu Bo.
Fu Bo's heart trembled, and he asked, "How is it? Is there anything going on?"
The scout saluted and said, "Captain, the Japanese vanguard of more than 200 people is coming from the south to the north, about three kilometers away from here."
Everyone was shocked. Fu Bo slammed the table, his face full of anger, and said angrily: "Damn, what a mess of information. Two hours ago, they said it was still 30 kilometers away, but now it's so close. Can they fly?"
The scout was so frightened that he didn't know what to do. He quickly lowered his head and dared not breathe.
Staff Officer An waved to the scouts and said, "Continue your reconnaissance. Go ahead."
The scout retreated, while Fu Bo walked around frantically with his hands behind his back, cursing.
"We're not ready yet, and the enemy has already arrived. This battle cannot be fought."
Liu Zhengfeng looked at his watch. It was eleven o'clock in the evening. He frowned.
"Captain, don't worry. The arrival of the Japanese vanguard does not mean they will launch an attack. I estimate that when their scouts find us, they will stop and wait for the follow-up large force."
Staff Officer An said, "Didn't you say that the Japanese Sixth Division was in imminent danger? Wouldn't these Japanese fight us to the death?"
Liu Zhengfeng smiled and said, "Desperately fighting is not courting death. These Japanese soldiers have traveled day and night, and they are exhausted. They don't carry any heavy weapons, so they won't risk attacking us. I estimate that they will launch an attack at dawn tomorrow."
Fu Bo believed Liu Zhengfeng's words without a doubt, and said to Staff Officer An, "Go and see how the air-raid shelter is doing. Ask them to speed up the repair and make sure it is completed before dawn tomorrow."
Staff Officer An nodded and walked out quickly.
Time passed minute by minute, and scouts came to report the news one after another. By two o'clock in the morning, thousands of Japanese troops had accumulated one kilometer away. They set up camp and did not advance further.
The storm was about to come, and Fu Bo's eyes were red. He knew that Liu Zhengfeng's judgment was correct and the battle was about to begin at dawn.
